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While a second place for one of our station basset hounds at the Pet Fest peanut butter lick elicited quite a bit of pride here at the Trail 103.3 this weekend, there was another accomplishment about which we’re having a hard time keeping quiet.
Yes, the rumors are true: Our mishmash of office monkeys earned “Gold Circle” honors for their creation of a smartphone gramophone at Saturday’s Spontaneous Construction event!
“Not Your Gramma’s Phone” was built by Trailheads Heidi, Liz, Mike and Billy out of a collection of recycled fixtures and furnishings on hand at the nonprofit building materials reuse center, Home ReSource. The organization hosts the annual creative construction event as a fundraiser as well as to encourage a more vibrant and sustainable community.
The Trail’s piece was built, among other things, of a wooden box, an adjustable stove pipe, the dish of a light fixture and what appears to be part of an old outdoor umbrella contraption. It looks like an old music player but functions as a smartphone amplifier for the hipster generation – not to mention it serves as a great conversation piece.
Mike – as in Mike Smith, host of the Acoustic Brunch – said it was Trail host Alanya’s husband, Marshall, who came up with the idea for the gramophone. The team, which entered under the pro division (meaning they brought their own tools), then had a short window of time to scour the Home ReSource inventory for parts that might help bring the idea to life.
After collecting their materials, the team spent several hours with hand tools, rivet guns, paintbrushes – and the power of their collaborative minds – before “Not Your Gramma’s Phone” was completed.
“The original thought was to paint the whole thing, but we left it as-is so you can see what all the parts were,” Mike said.
After the clock lapsed, a team of judges surveyed all the creations and the Trail 103.3’s gramophone was selected for a Gold Circle prize, which means it will be auctioned off live at the organization’s 8th annual banquet and benefit auction Saturday, Nov. 3 at the Wilma. Interested parties can catch a sneak preview of the gramophone in action at First Friday on Oct. 5, where it will be on display with the other Gold and Silver Circle creations in the lobby of the Florence Hotel.
Mike said Spontaneous Construction was a fun way to spend a Saturday – the acknowledgment at its completion was really just icing on the cake.
“There’s this whole culture over there of people who are creative yet handy,” he said, comparing the experience to building a fort as a child. “I felt like I was using parts of my brain that seldom get used.”
Check out the Home ReSource website for more information on Spontaneous Construction or to purchase tickets to the upcoming banquet.
-Zeke Campfield
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